Americans will always have "stars in their eyes" when it comes to movie stars, sports stars, pop artists, and those who are just "famous for being famous," like Paris Hilton. We've elected a president who was once a Hollywood actor. CA has AHNOLD as its governor, and Fred Thompson vied for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination. Some members of Congress were once sports celebrities, such as Heath Shuler, who represents my NC district in the House.

I wonder...

What are the political affiliations of prominent celebrities today? Do their opinions matter to you?

Would you stop going to movies or stop watching a television program in which an actor or an actress had a starring role if you knew that he or she did not agree with your political viewpoint?

Ditto for a sports event...

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

Well, I have made choices not to pay to watch any movies with Tom Cruise or Mel Gibson in them. Tom Cruise because of the remarks about post partum (sp?) depression not being real, and blasting people for choosing to take medicine to help with mental illness. (Also, he's a fricken whacko that believes that we are all descendants of an alien -- or some such insanity.) Mel Gibson mostly on the fact that he made the Passion of the Christ. That was absolutely the most bullshit, ridiculous movie I've ever been forced to watch (and I actually was coerced into seeing it by someone who desperately wants me to convert from my atheism (heathenism) to christianity). Just as I would chose to not associate with these sorts of people in my everyday life, I also chose not to associate with them in my "entertainment" life...

Side note: On proofreading this I noticed an interesting thing: the reason I don't like either man is because of their belief in the supernatural and their desire to force that belief on others...hmmm.

_________________You can sing the praises of women all day long, but as long as you put a fertilized egg ahead of [their] welfare, you do not really care about them.-Dori 4/07

Sometimes a celebrity's political affiliation will be posted in a Wickipedia bio. I was amazed at how some of the Hollywood icons were so adamently against Michael Moore's Farenheit 911. Clint Eastwood's reaction was particularly ing and he forgot for awhile that he wasn't really Dirty Harry. I am not particularly fond of Eastwood now, although he has done some fine work during his career.

I despise arrogance in any person, male or female. Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson are the epitomy of arrogance and narcissism and I will never purchase a movie ticket to see anything they are in or have been a part of producing. Neither do I like Jon Voight. He's a winger, believes Bush and Cheney tell the truth all the time, and campaigned for Rudy.

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Jon Voight appeared on Fox & Friends on Fox News to endorse former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the 2008 Republican Party nomination. He attended a Guilani campaign event and said New York City was transformed into a much safer, cleaner and more livable city. He said "God sent an angel, his name was Rudy Giuliani." [9] In another interview in Miami with AventuraUSA.com, Voight said he first met Giuliani "years ago" at a movie premiere in New York City and the main reason for his support was Giuliani's poise in the wake of 9/11. In the interview, Voight revealed he and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton "are friends" and he believes Clinton's chief competitor for the Democratic nod, Barack Obama, hasn't "proved himself in any way yet."

Voight had this to say during an interview with Radar magazine as late as 2007:

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My view of it is this: they say our president lied to us. Well, he didn't lie to us, everybody else had the information he had

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If you're part of a left-wing bias and want to turn what I say in favor of someone on your agenda, I would say I don't want to talkabout it with you

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While you might not hear people say, "I don't support the troops", the country and the media on the whole are increasingly caustic and critical of the president and Iraq. Does that bother you?

It's a tidal wave going in this direction. It's sad for me. The attack on George Bush I find to be reprehensible. From the beginning it was politically motivated, and it's been very successful, the disrespect for our president and for our country and for our government. I have a great regard for our government. We have all sorts of checks and balances that are afforded to us by our constitution. We have a lot of wonderful hardworking people in the government. Once it gets to be partisan, it takes the energy in another direction. There was a big movement to impeach Lincoln during the Civil War, but it is not healthy at this time when we are fighting a very vicious enemy that has made it very clear in their attacks on American embassies and the Twin Towers, and on our forces what they intend.

So I imagine you're a supporter of the Patriot Act?

Yes, I'm a supporter of the Patriot Act. I support protecting us and investigating anyone who indicates they're going to be dangerous to our country. It's one of those things; it depends on which side you're on politically. If we had these things in place we could have anticipated 9/11. We're not interested in investigating someone who's doing something appropriate. We don't have time for that. That's nonsense. I certainly hope we're paying close attention to all those people crossing our borders who might be dangerous to us. We know for sure there are cells in the United States that are ready to erupt. We know that Hezbollah is here; we know there are cells from different terrorist organizations that are here and operational and that there are others waiting too. So listen, it's a serious business. It's wartime, guys. Because we don't have a continuous attack on our shores, we can get complacent. We've got to all be alert now, we've got to be a part of it and be supportive of our troops for sure.

Well, that is disturbing. Didn't know Voight's thinking was so 'quaint'.

Must say, I avoid anyone who offends my values.

Like lefty, I had heavy pressure put on me to see "Passion of the Christ". It was supposed to show me 'what Jesus went through for us'. My stock answer, if you need to see torture to feel good about being Christian, you have missed Christ's message. His words are in red in the Bible. If you can't read them and understand being Christian is about empathy and caring, no amount of 'passion' in the form of torture is going to make you understand. What you are feeling now is the message of Mel Gibson, not the message of Christ. Christ's message was a much higher one.

That didn't go over big, but these people are so darn pushy!

On the other hand, I watch anything and everything I can of people I feel good about. Michael Moore comes to mind. Fantastic work! Have you seen his 'Canadian Bacon'? On my 'one of the funniest movies' list. Just loved it! Hope to get a copy some day.

Yes, the political leanings and opinions of the people I watch are important to me. I watched both sides for years, now I have seen enough to know which side is more interesting and fun to be around.

That makes me think of Ben Stein. I didn't know how very much of a winger he was until a few years ago (yes, you can laugh at me). I was extremely disappointed, b/c I always thought he was a clever guy. Too bad though, now I will watch nothing he is involved in.

(PS Canadian Bacon is a very funny movie)

_________________You can sing the praises of women all day long, but as long as you put a fertilized egg ahead of [their] welfare, you do not really care about them.-Dori 4/07

Well, that is disturbing. Didn't know Voight's thinking was so 'quaint'.

You are too kind dori, wacko is so much closer to the mark. His radical right views go a long way in explaining the estrangement with his own daughter, Angelina Jolene. She is as liberal as he is wacko NeoCon, she truly walks her talk with her work in third world countries. The tabloids never tire of bashing her since she is truly committed to her causes, rarely do you see daddy shown in a negative light.

In support of her endeavors, I will buy DVDs with which she is involved. Voight gets no such purchase. Cruise will never get funds from me because of his extreme misogynist views; he keeps his wife and daughter as virtual chattel. Gibson is a radical regressive Catholic who believes the Mass should still be celebrated in Latin and a not so closeted anti-Semite, that joins the list along with Chuck Norris. Michael Moore could produce a crap sandwich and I would still buy it to say thank for all the truth to power of the past.

_________________“I'm not a member of any organized party. I'm a Democrat.”-Will Rogers

The biggest givers to Democrats were Steven Spielberg ($165,000) and Michael Douglas ($98,000). Tom Hanks, who executive-produced patriotic miniseries about World War II and the space program, gave $27,000.

Other Oscar-winning Democratic benefactors include such veteran cinematic liberals as Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford and Woody Allen. Like most political contributors in any profession, Hollywood's Democratic Party regulars are not as young as they'd like to be. Still, they boast a few newcomers such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Lefty, I was trying to remember the name of Ben Stein when I posted last time. Even when he is a voice-over now, I turn the program off. And he does do a lot of commercials. I would think long and hard before buying anything he hawked.

A Proud Liberal said:

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Michael Moore could produce a crap sandwich and I would still buy it to say thank for all the truth to power of the past.

So would I!

Catherine, thank you for the list. All people I already love. Well, not Jack Nicholson so much, but I will be gentler on him now. Of course he was great in 'A Few Good Men'.

From Catherine's link:

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No Academy Award winner gave anything to George W. Bush's winning campaign.

Rooster, I thought you had to be a card carrying R to be a sports player. Glad to hear otherwise. Sorry for your loss, though.